7 Healthy New Year's Resolutions Anyone Can Make

It’s that time of year again — what will you improve about your life in 2022? New year’s resolutions offer the promise of a fresh start.  

However, you might not feel that enthusiastic if you burned out on your promises to yourself in the past. Here are seven healthy new year’s resolutions anyone can make — and stick to for the long haul.

1. Work Out Several Days a Week   

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently revised their guidelines for adults to recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. Many people get much less — but you don’t have to add to that statistic. Forget the draining resolutions to shed pounds and instead focus on getting to the gym or whipping out the home workout DVD several days a week.  

To stick with this goal, make it SMART for your schedule — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. For example, you might say, “I will go to the gym for a half-hour after work on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. This objective hits all five characteristics. It also fits your lifestyle, assuming you choose a fitness facility between your home and workplace.  

However, you want to be careful to avoid working out too much. Overdoing it can lead to injury, creating more harm than good. Listen to your body and stop when you feel like you’re pushing too hard to avoid spending time on the dreaded disabled list.

2. Start Meal-Prepping 

You know the meals you cook at home are more nutritious than those you get out most of the time. However, getting dinner on the table on busy work nights can challenge anyone.

Fortunately, you can find scores of recipes for healthy freezer meals online. After that, all you need are some safe storage bags and an instant pot. Carve out one to two hours per week for getting everything ready and marvel at how much easier dinnertime becomes.

3. Learn a Few Foreign Phrases 

Gaining fluency in a foreign language is tough and requires immersion. However, you can learn a few phrases without too much trouble.  

Why not invest in a language learning app as a from-me-to-me gift this holiday season? When the new year rolls around, use your mental breaks to master a bit of French instead of setting your blood pressure to boil by scrolling through negative social media feeds.

4. Take Care of Your Mental Health  

You exercise your body to take care of your physical health. What have you done for your mind lately?  

Resolve to take five to ten minutes each day to meditate, journal, draw, practice yoga or otherwise benefit your mental well-being. Keep a sketch pad next to your bed or pull up a 10-minute restorative stretch video on YouTube to practice before you turn in for the night.

5. Spruce Up the Homestead  

Do you have one of “those” cabinets — the kind you open while wearing body armor because you don’t know what might fall out on you? Why not make 2022 the year you resolve to clean it?  

Sprucing up your homestead doesn’t have to mean hiring a contractor or spending tons of money. Nearly everyone has little things they would like to improve, from a messy hallway closet to that overflowing stack of papers on your desk. Write a list and tackle one project each weekend until your entire house is spic-and-span.

6. Set a New Career Goal  

Are you hoping for a raise in the new year? Why not set a meeting with your boss and discuss what you need to do to take your career to the next level?  

What if you do so and discover that there isn’t much room for growth at your organization? Now is the perfect time to jump ship for happier shores. The “Great Resignation” and labor shortages have made the job market competitive for seekers — resolve to dust off your resume and get the pay, benefits and challenge you deserve.

7. Catch Up on Your Sleep (Seriously) 

Who can’t keep a new year’s resolution to get more sleep? Okay, busy new parents — you may be the exception. Everyone else, pull up those covers and hit snooze.  

There are tons of health benefits to getting adequate shuteye, but one-third of Americans live sleep-deprived. You can improve your chances of a full night’s rest by banning electronic devices from your bedroom. The blue light interferes with your circadian rhythms. Make the space as comfortable as possible and use a white noise machine if a snoring partner or noisy roommates keep you counting sheep.

Make a Healthy New Year’s Resolution This Year 

You don’t have to groan at yet another impossible promise to yourself this year. Try one of these healthy but simple new year’s resolutions!